Tag: Nigel Seenathsingh

End of water scam in Scott’s Road?

THE EDITOR: It is with great happiness that I read in the newspaper of the multi-million dollar water scam happening in my hometown, Scott’s Road, and Morne Diablo being uncovered and dealt with by Minister of Public Utilities Marvin Gonzales.

Gonzales was made aware of the situation that has been going on for decades during his visit to the area recently.

Growing up in Scott’s Road taught me the value and importance of water, as for all my years, water had been very scarce. From carrying water in buckets from ponds to pulling a box cart loaded with kegs and barrels for miles, the search for water was a daily task. Water unavailability in Scott’s Road was one of the driving factors for me to move from the area once I was able to do so.

I attended the Morne Diablo Roman Catholic School in a village where everyone was like family. Beautifully located between Penal and Siparia and the Quinam and Morne Diablo beaches, it always bewildered me why there was such a lack of water when we had two major water wells in the village that supplied many areas – but not ours.

As I grew older, I began to understand the control of water supply by the water cartel, as I called it. Water lines and taps were run to our homes in my later years. However, they were always dry. Everyone knew the water valves were being illegally turned off so residents would be forced to purchase water from WASA workers who owned water trucks.

Reports were made to WASA and even the police on multiple occasions but to no avail. Just two weeks ago, my father, who still resides in Scott’s Road, told me the taps have been dry for eight weeks and that he is forced to buy water at a cost of $400.

Residents had stopped making reports due to the fear of being targeted, as well as due to the non-response over the years by the authorities. The news story of the Public Utilities Minister bringing the plight and complaints of the people to the Prime Minister and they both acting swiftly to rectify the issue is the best news residents of the area could have received.

Thank you, Minister Gonzales, thank you, Prime Minister. We hope this situation that is decades old has finally come to an end.

NIGEL SEENATHSINGH

San Fernando

Libraries source of info, knowledge

THE EDITOR: Earlier this month Prime Minister Rowley officially opened the Diego Martin Public Library. Delivering the feature address, Dr Rowley said, “What this facility represents as an investment for the people of the entire valley and surroundings of Diego Martin is an opportunity to spend time doing something different, something positive, something uplifting, something valuable.”

I was disappointed, however, with some of the comments on the opening of the library. A few people opined on social media that libraries are no longer necessary in this digital age. Some went as far as to say all information can be Googled, which makes investing in a library a poor decision.

With the abundance of information out there, libraries assist modern society by maintaining and disseminating relevant information as and when required. They offer relevant and authentic information and records of knowledge from past generations, because in this modern era the information explosion has led us to confusion in choosing relevant information from the pile available throughout the several platforms.

Libraries have an important role and are regarded as the “gateway of knowledge for the community.” Society today has various needs, such as education, research, cultural achievement, various types of information, etc. It has founded various institutions to serve these needs. Among them the library occupies a prominent place. While other institutions are designed to meet one or few of the needs, the library is able to meet all of them in equal measure.

The resources and services of the library offer and create opportunities for learning, they support literacy and education and help shape the new ideas and perspectives that are essential for the creative and innovative society, Librarika has stated. Also, the free-flowing nature of the library allows for parents to actively participate in their children’s reading.

Library attendance served as a springboard for parents to communicate messages about the expectations they had for their children as readers. As institutions, libraries supported literacy events that tie in to the larger cultural practices of coming together as part of a community, according to the American Library Association.

The Prime Minister, who has declared his love for reading, has created a legacy of promoting education and knowledge, especially for the youth.

However, I use this opportunity to request the Prime Minister to engage the public once again on the SEA exam and the way it is structured. Every parent who has had a child sit this dreaded, stressful exam can tell of the impact it has had on all those involved.

I personally know of students who are top performers “going blank” while writing the exam because of the stress, and they unfortunately had their lives altered in a negative way. Its reminds me of when the Prime Minister had to perform on stage as a child but “went blank” on seeing the audience, as stated in his book.

I have been hearing conversations of how much more difficult the preparations, as well as meeting the syllabus, have become due to the two years lost during covid19. Students as well as teachers and parents are at a great disadvantage and the additional stress is evident. Most students from Std 4 upwards no longer enjoy physical education or the arts in schools because teachers are pressed to keep up with the syllabus.

The Prime Minister has shown time and again that he is not afraid to make changes. Hopefully the restructuring of the SEA exam and the school syllabus may be added to the list of his accomplishments.

As the lobby to part ways with the Privy Council and adopt the CCJ as our final appellate court grows, let us begin our transition from the colonial education system and have our syllabus reflect such, with agriculture, culture, music and the arts playing a much greater role in the development of our children.

NIGEL SEENATHSINGH

San Fernando

My reflections on Trinidad and Tobago in 2023

THE EDITOR: As I sit and reflect on all that has happened in 2023 in my country and around the world, I cannot help but genuinely thank God for all His blessings and mercies showered on myself and my countrymen.

Getting to the negative first, I as well as most citizens certainly remain unhappy with crime. The crime situation has affected and touched each and everyone of us in some way or the other. The question is, who is to blame? Do we blame the government, the police, the gangs or do we blame ourselves?

In an article I wrote earlier this year, I reiterated that we as individuals can help stop crime by removing opportunities for criminals and by promptly reporting suspicious activities to the police. We cannot as a people complain about the crime rate yet be critical of the protective services for implementing the law.

Road checks and speed traps are always posted in real time on social media so as to alert everyone including the law-breakers.

How, on one hand, can we curb criminal activity yet in the other hand, protect the criminals. By posting these road checks and speed traps, the element of surprise is lost.

On Wednesday, I celebrated my birthday on the beautiful island of St Kitts. Having visited several Caribbean islands I can report without a shadow of doubt that Trinidad is one of the most developed. Our cost of living is much lower. The grocery items I would have gotten in Trinidad cost me twice the amount in St Kitts.

We in Trinidad and Tobago enjoy free healthcare, education, some of the lowest taxes and utilities in the world. We as a people have to decide how we can contribute to the continuation of these benefits. Just like crime, much of our economic development and our quality of life can be determined by us, and not necessarily the government, as is generally perceived.

I grew up in the humblest of homes and was determined to use the opportunities provided to ensure a comfortable quality of life for myself and my family. If you are not satisfied with your income, take advantage of the many courses, classes or career training sessions provided by the government.

Get involved in agriculture, start a small business and become an entrepreneur. No government can determine your salary or quality of life – those choices solely lie with you. This past year, many proactive initiatives were adopted by the government.

Social Development and Family Services, Housing, Public Utilities, Healthcare, Agriculture, Finance and notably Energy and Energy Industries, just to name a few, which made immense strides. All ministries were mandated to put their best foot forward and ensure stability after the devastating pandemic from which most countries still have not recovered.

We as a people are very fortunate, so let us not fall prey to propaganda and negativity.

Let us come together and make Trinidad and Tobago the country that we want it to be, a country that our children and all generations to come can enjoy. In many countries people feel a sense of commitment to their neighbourhood and are actively involved in activities to improve the quality of life there.

This is known as “citizen participation.” For example, local residents engage in voluntary work, organise litter-clearing campaigns, set up collectives to purchase solar panels or form local care co-operatives.

Let us be thankful for what we have and work to make it even better. Oprah Winfrey once pronounced, be thankful for what you have, you’ll end up having more.

If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never ever have enough. On behalf of my family and myself, Merry Christmas and have a bright and prosperous New Year!

NIGEL SEENATHSINGH

San Fernando

History created in London

THE EDITOR: Prime Minister Rowley, Minister of Energy and Energy Industries Stuart Young and by extension the Government have once again created history by bringing together giants in the hydrocarbon industry for the benefit of TT citizens.

According to a release from the Office of the Prime Minister, Dr Rowley met with British Petroleum’s interim CEO, Murray Auchincloss, at the company’s headquarters in London. Young and president of bpTT David Campbell were present for the talks.

The leadership at bp reaffirmed its commitment to TT and emphasised that the country remains an important component of its global operations. The discussions also focused on prospective initiatives, including the pursuit of deep-water exploration and sanctioning of future projects.

On December 5 Rowley witnessed the commemorative signing of an agreement for a new unitised commercial structure for Atlantic LNG in London. The agreement will allow the National Gas Company (NGC) to obtain a greater share of the revenue derived from the sale of LNG on the global market for the citizens of TT.

Delivering remarks at the ceremony, Rowley said, “We in Trinidad and Tobago, representing the people of Trinidad and Tobago, we feel confident that success will come our way and that that success will be shared more fairly with greater clarity and with greater sustainability.”

On that same day Rowley met with Shell Global’s CEO, Wael Sawan, at the company’s global head office in London. Young and senior vice president and country chair of Shell TT, Adam Lowmass, participated in the talks.

The Shell leadership reiterated that the company remains aligned with TT as it intends to continue investing in the LNG business, which is necessary for energy security.

Rowley and Sawan discussed the progress of the Manatee and Dragon field projects, as well as other potential projects that could assist in securing sustainable gas supplies for TT.

The progress made in London is as the result of years of negotiations spearheaded by Rowley and Young on behalf of the people of TT. Thanks to their efforts citizens will be able to see more benefits from the resources of the country.

NIGEL SEENATHSINGH

San Fernando

The festival of lights

THE EDITOR: In a few days, Hindus around the world would be celebrating the festival of Divali.

According to Wikipedia and Hindu scriptures, Divali is connected to various religious events, deities and personalities, such as being the day Lord Ram returned to his kingdom in Ayodha with his wife Sita and his brother Lakshmana after defeating the demon king Ravana.

It is also widely associated with Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity, and Ganesha, the god of wisdom and remover of obstacles.

Primarily a Hindu festival, variations of Divali are also celebrated by adherents of other faiths. The Jains observe their own Divali which marks the final liberation of Mahavira. Buddhists celebrate Divali by worshipping Lakshmi, while the Hindus of Eastern India and Bangladesh generally celebrate Divali by worshipping the goddess Kali.

Here in Trinidad and Tobago, during the festival, celebrants illuminate their homes, temples and workspaces with deyas (clay oil lamps), candles and lanterns. Divali is also marked with fireworks and the decoration of floors with rangoli designs.

Food is a major focus with families partaking in feasts and sharing mithai (sweets). The festival is an annual homecoming and bonding period not only for families, but also for communities and associations, particularly those in urban areas, which will organise activities, events and gatherings.

Many towns organise community parades and fairs with parades or music and dance performances in parks. Hindus will send Divali greeting cards to family and friends near and far during the festive season, occasionally with boxes of Indian confectionery. Another aspect of the festival is remembering the ancestors.

Divali is also a major cultural event in Trinidad which brings people of all religions together as one with love and kindness. On behalf of my family and myself: Shubh Diwali 2023. Peace, love and blessings to all.

NIGEL SEENATHSINGH

San Fernando

Teach children safety skills

THE EDITOR: In recent times, we have lost a number of children to incidents that, to some extend, could have been prevented. As a parent, I felt the hurt and pain the parents of these children experienced.

We the adults need to always keep our “parenting” skills sharp just as we would our professional and academic knowledge for our daily jobs and careers.

Parenting and guardianship are the most important jobs we hold.

It is therefore our responsibility, as parents and responsible citizens, to safeguard children and teach them safety and survival skills.

In every home and school children should be taught about safety and protection measures. As a parent, you should take an active interest in your children and listen to them. Teach them that they can be assertive in order to protect themselves against abduction and exploitation.

Most importantly, make your home a place of trust and support. Together we can protect our future generation by teaching them to be smart, strong, and safe.

A parent is the best person to teach a child about personal safety. Age and maturity matter.

There is no perfect age when parents should begin teaching children about personal safety. A child’s ability to comprehend and practise safety skills is affected by age, educational, and developmental levels.

Listen to your children. Know their daily activities and habits. Listen to what they like and what they do not like. Encourage open communication. Let your children know they can talk to you about any situation.

Reassure them that their safety is your main priority. Get involved, know where they are at all times. Your children should check in with you if there is a change in plans. There is no substitute for your attention and supervision.

Practise safety skills together and rehearse safety drills until they become second nature. Safety at home is also very important. According to raising children.net, “as your child grows and learns to climb and open things, you need to be alert for new hazards.”

You will probably need to make some changes to ensure your home remains a safe and creative place for children to play and explore. Along with supervision and a safe environment, you can also improve home safety by teaching your child about what is safe and what is not.

Child safety is our priority and we should not take it lightly. Let us take the time to keep our child safety knowledge up to par by always studying and researching ways to improve on this crucial responsibility that we as parents and adults hold.

NIGEL SEENATHSINGH

San Fernando

Kudos to Rowley, Young

THE EDITOR: On August 25, 2018, Prime Minister Dr Rowley and Venezuela President Maduro signed the cross-border gas pipeline agreement for TT to access hydro carbons from the Venezuelan Dragon Gas field.

At that signing ceremony, Rowley said this historic deal will allow Venezuelan gas to be monetised on the international market for the benefit of the people of Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela.

He said this model of co-operation holds out promise for further agreements in other areas. President Muduro said he believes there is room for the development of robust bilateral trade between the two countries.

During a January news conference, Rowley indicated his government hoped to import 350 million cubic feet of gas per day by pipeline from the Dragon field. The Venezuelan gas would help supplement the country’s reduced domestic fossil gas reserves and allow full resumption of exports at Trinidad’s partially idled Atlantic Energy Terminal.

Negotiations between Venezuela and TT began in March and continued over the next several months.

On September 20, all the hard work by Rowley and Minister of Energy Stuart Young paid off as a historic signing of this agreement was completed.

The President of Venezuela said the signing and the project to work the Dragon Field in Venezuelan waters and start producing between Venezuela and TT will bring gas to the world and is a message of peace, of complementarity, co-operation, solidarity and exercised and shared sovereignty.

Kudos to the Prime Minister, to our Minister of Energy and their support team who never gave up and pursued this essential and critical arrangement for the development of not only our country but the entire Caribbean and the world at large.

NIGEL SEENATHSINGH

San Fernando

Letter writer reads me wrong

THE EDITOR: A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of seeing my name featured in a letter to the editor written by a supposedly concerned citizen. A few other names were mentioned, notably Harry Partap, Dr Devant Maharaj and Lynette Joseph. The writer attempted to align me with those individuals in a sort of writing-for-hire situation.

While amused by this silly accusation, I also found it interesting that a second letter by another writer seemed to be almost a “copy and paste” of the previous letter. The only point made was that I was against the Opposition Leader, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, and the party she heads.

What the writer should understand is that most of the names he mentioned, minus myself, whom he claims are against the UNC were in fact strong active members of the UNC and close confidants of its leader.

Over the past month the UNC has been plagued by resignations, claims of bias and hundreds of calls by its members for the leader to finally concede, step down and allow wounds to heal. Never once have I called for such.

A close former member of the party has been openly calling for the UNC leader to step down and has put forward a number of reasons in the public domain outlining her reason. She has even gone to the extent of sharing WhatsApp conversations between her and the UNC leader – as well as the many losses that the party suffered under Persad-Bissessar – as reasons why she should step down.

I myself grew up in the belly of the UNC and it was almost traditional to vote for the party. What citizens as well as these politicians have to understand is that the younger generation has a lot more data at hand. We no longer vote based on tradition, but rather on substance.

The example the writer used in his letter to compare with mine’s was a steups by Minister Stuart Young when asked a question about some silly make-up firearm situation.

I urge that writer and all others to keep their eyes on the bigger picture. Focus on what can make a significant impact. My writing always incorporates education, respect, integrity, love and patriotism. I never attack any individual based on their opinion. However, the
modus operandi of certain people is to personally attack when they cannot make a valid point.

Instead of fighting each other, instead of quarrelling about politics, let us come together, share ideas, and work with and not against the leaders of the country. The real enemies are the criminals running loose. Our enemies are not the police and licensing officers who work hard to ensure our safety and security.

I remind the people of TT that we have the power in our hands to place into the Parliament who we wish to lead us. Together let’s make our country the greatest nation on Earth. It is not impossible. Remember, together we aspire and together we will achieve.

NIGEL SEENATHSINGH

San Fernando

Stop the blame game

THE EDITOR: The hot topic being discussed currently is the crime situation in Trinidad and Tobago. There is no doubt that citizens are justified in being concerned by the wave of criminality and lack of empathy by individuals who believe that a life of crime is the best option to pursue.

What I would have expected was that all law-abiding citizens would come together in unity to fight the one true enemy, the criminals. Unfortunately people have chosen these challenges as an opportunity to score political points and to create divisiveness within our beautiful nation. I was shocked and appalled that leaders of a religious organisation would ever think that crime is being done as a weapon against a particular race. These leaders strategically used their influence on a public platform to incite a great amount of hate within society.

Social media has blown up with comments of hate against races and some of the comments I observed were alarming. While this particular Hindu leader does speak and write eloquently at times on current affairs, he has to be careful to not use every opportunity as an attempt to gain attention. These leaders are of the Hindu faith and I must remind them that there are all races within the Hindu religion.

According to Lexipol, the question is why does it matter that in some individuals their brains privately, instantaneously and unconsciously think negative thoughts about those who are different than them?

Several lines of research have discovered a clear connection between their snap judgments and their actions. For example, their brains will tend to link an unfamiliar black person to criminal behavior absent from available data, they link “blackness” with crime quickly and automatically regardless of whether there’s a rational basis for that link. This my brothers and sisters needs to change in order to overcome the evil of crime.

The police service has come out publicly with statistics to prove that no particular race commits or are victims of crime in Trinidad and Tobago. In 2017, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley pleaded and I quote, “I want to appeal to all those young persons who might be influenced by or attracted to violent criminal activity to consider the frequency with which such activities end in grief not only for their families but for the wider national community, to reflect on alternatives which would provide more acceptable outcomes to their valuable lives.” These words resonated then and is more than valid at this present time.

In July 2022, the Attorney General, Reginald Armour during, his contribution on the Bail Amendment Bill begged for unity against crime. The response by the Opposition was to stage a walkout. For us to overcome this pandemic of crime in society we need to come together as one. We need to support all arms and institutions that defend us on a daily basis. Let us stop the blame game. While I totally agree the Government, the protective services and others have a great role to play in the crime fight, we as citizens have an even greater role in providing the support, the encouragement and the will to take back our country and make it as great as we would like it to be. We have the power to get it done.

NIGEL SEENATHSINGH

SAN FERNANDO